Atalanta have rejected a €25m offer from Chelsea for Franck Kessie, with the Ivorian midfielder’s agent claiming there is also interest from several other Premier League sides including Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal.
Kessie, who spent last season on loan at Cesena, has been in outstanding form as Atalanta have risen up to sixth place in Serie A after 18 games. The 20-year-old has scored six goals in 16 appearances, leading to comparisons with compatriot, Yaya Touré.
Kessie is on a list of midfielders, along with Roma’s Radja Nainggolan and Monaco’s Tiemoue Bakayoko, Chelsea are considering for both January and the end of the season. But it looks like the London club will have to raise their price to poach their man.
The Italian outfit reportedly wants €40 million for Kessie, which sounds a crazy price tag for the Ivorian. However, if Chelsea are to look for a replacement for Oscar, they may just be having to spend more in order to land a younger, stronger and elegant midfielder in their ranks to bolster their authority in the centre of the pitch.
Kessie’s agent was reported saying, “We cannot say at this stage how much he will cost but we are talking about one of the best young players in the world. But for us, the most important thing is that the technical project is the right one for him.Franck is very young so we have to be very careful about his development.
“Chelsea are very interested and it is a great club but we must take our time to consider all the options. Now we are in January so he has to play at the African Nations Cup for Ivory Coast so I am not going to rush anything.”